The question of whether or not the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority (KVWA) will have the authority to regulate and monitor groundwater supply is set to appear on the April 17 ballot. DeKalb County Judge Kurt Klein has issued an order to put the groundwater issue on the ballot, along with finalizing the boundaries of the proposed Authority.

The ballot will first ask the voter if they are for or against the organization of the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority and the second question will read:

Under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, may an aggregate extension not to exceed a dollar amount equal to .03 percent of the value, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue, of all taxable property in the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority be made for the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority for the 2007 tax year?

If the referendum passes, the KVWA would be granted the power to regulate groundwater within specific boundaries of Boone, McHenry and DeKalb counties.

Below is a look at the finalized list of proposed boundaries:

• Boone County: All townships and all cities, excluding the City of Belvidere
• DeKalb County: All townships, excluding Sandwich and Somonauk and all cities, excluding Sandwich, Maple Park and Genoa
• McHenry County: Townships included are Chemung, Alden, Dunham, Hebron, Hartland, Seneca, Door, Greenwood, Marengo, Coral and Riley. All Cities include Union, Hebron, Bull Valley and Greenwood, excluding Lakewood, Woodstock, Crystal Lake, Harvard, Marengo and Wonderlake.

The KVWA was developed by The Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water, ?A-LAW?, a not-for-profit group formed to have the power to regulate the permitting of any new wells for high capacity residential, municipal, industrial and commercial users.

The Northern Illinois Commuter Rail Transportation Initiative (NICTI) will be holding a second round of public involvement meetings in February. The first on February 27th at the Burpee Museum of National History auditorium at 737 North Main Street in Rockford and the second on February 28th at the Community Building Complex of Boone County. On both days the meetings will begin at 5:00 p.m. and end at 7:30 p.m.

The NICTI Executive Committee has identified reasonable modes and alignments for the Rockford region from the November public meeting and other stakeholder and local officials meetings. These ideas will be presented at the upcoming public information meetings. NICTI will also detail their plan to evaluate the concepts, and explain the federal screening process. The alternatives have undergone an initial evaluation to assess how well they address the six main parts of the purpose and need statement: enhance mobility through and within the corridor; provide efficient and high quality transit improvements; develop a cost effective transportation solution; support business, transportation, and residential investments; support effective land use and development patterns; provide a cleaner and safer environment.

The public will have the opportunity to comment on the various improvement concepts, evaluation process and the draft purpose and need.

At the open house, you will be updated on the study, have an opportunity to review exhibits and participate in a question and answer forum with NICTI representatives and RATS, which will begin at 5:30 PM each day.

*Both locations are accessible to persons with disabilities. If special accommodations are required, contact Hayes Morrison at 815-987-5628 or TYY 815-987-3083.

Please visit our website at www.NICTI.net where you can learn more about the NICTI Study and express your ideas or concerns. Comments are due by March 29, 2007.

The Boone County Farm Bureau hosted a meeting with local agricultural producers to discuss new use opportunities for crops and agricultural co-products. AgTech introduced an AgTech client to the Farm Bureau to discuss with farmers the viability of using surplus corn stover and other biomass forms as an energy source.

The energy from these crops would be harnessed by means of a technology to be commercialized by the AgTech client, which could benefit farms, industrial applications, and biofuels production facilities. The meeting helped to identify key economic considerations for farmers, along with recognizing other factors, such as collection methods and soil replenishment.

Keep posted for future updates!

Mark your calendars: the Growth Dimensions? 2007 Annual Dinner will take place on Wednesday, April 25th, 2007. The event will feature General Mills/Green Giant and their growing investments in the Belvidere/Boone County community.

The dinner will take place at the Community Complex of Boone County. Further details will soon be announced.

We look forward to you joining our 2007 Annual Meeting Celebration.

Growth Dimensions for Belvidere Boone County and the Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the Boone County Manufacturer's Appreciation Breakfast on March 7th in the Community Building Complex of Boone County, 111 W. 1st Street, Belvidere.

The breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. followed by the program ay 8:00 a.m. This year's event will cover the topics of workman's compensation and creative ways to manage health care costs in the manufacturing industry.

If you would like to attend, please contact the Chamber office at 815-544-4357.

The event is being sponsored by ComEd, Nicor and the Illinois Manufacturer's Extension Center.

Each year, Rock Valley College holds a free lecture for the community, in an area of interest, in particular, to local manufacturing. Endowed by the family of Ernst Svenson through Rock Valley?s Foundation, and with the sustaining support of Haldex, Rock Valley College has offered this lecture for over 15 years.

Dean Kamen will be the speaker for this year?s event. He is the inventor of the Segway, a people mover that moves via your body motion and has been featured on television shows, such as Boston Legal.

Dean holds more than 150 U.S. and foreign patents related to medical devices, climate control systems, and helicopter design. He's an inventor whose rebellion against convention has consistently yielded smart solutions. Dean has had a global impact in manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and health care.

The event takes place on Thursday, April 19th at 6 pm at the Stenstrom Center for Career Education located at 4151 Samuelson Road, Rockford.

If you are interested in attending, person call (815) 921-2071 to register.

Pictured above right, Segway Personal Transporter

There?s no disputing the benefits of 5S/Workplace organization on the factory floor. Manufacturers who have implemented this proven tool are operating more efficiently, with better quality at the source, producing goods rather than looking for parts and tools needed to do the job.

However, if you talk to a manufacturer about implementing 5S in the Office, they are less enthusiastic. ?What difference does it make if the desks are messy so long as the throughput in the shop is at an all time high??

While an organized workspace is no doubt appealing to the eye, the value of implementing a 5S Kaizen event in the front office extends beyond simply creating an orderly appearance. The process of Sorting, Setting in Order, Shining, Standardizing, and Sustaining your administrative functions will generate more value added output per worker. It is an improvement in productivity, safety, and quality that will generate more money for your company.

Here are some of the benefits of a 5S Workplace Organization Project:

1. More effective use of technology, tools and time.
Implementing 5S in the office makes technology more accessible. Routinely cleaning, inspecting and organizing key business tools (fax machines, copiers, computers, etc.) minimizes waiting time, improvise quality, and maximizes the time spent on activities the customer is willing to pay.

2. Ease of access to supplies and information on paper and in electronic formats.
Too often we find ourselves searching through papers and filing cabinets...or worse yet, scanning computer systems for electronic files whose locations are long forgotten. Clearly mapping and creating electronic filing policies eliminates those hassles, helps improve customer service (both internal and external), and minimizes rework and frustrations. Follow the 30 second rule, if an outsider can?t find something in one?s office or desk within 30 seconds, a 5S application may help.

3. Get by without the "irreplaceable" employee.
Every office has a process expert, the person who inherently knows where everything is, or should be. But what happens to your administrative functions when that individual goes on vacation or, worse yet, leaves the company?

While we all have employees whose attitudes and work ethic are irreplaceable, their functions should not be. Document the processes that are used to perform work so when an employee takes a vacation or even exits the organization, the transition is manageable. Having a clear understanding of their job function as well as how they maintain their systems will help speed that transition.

4. Improve workplace safety
By eliminating clutter and physical obstacles, and employing ergonomic solutions to make workstations more comfortable and productive, a company reduces the risk of their employees filing workers? compensation claims. Not only does this affect the bottom line, but it fulfills a responsibility an employer has to its employees to provide a safe working environment while improving productivity.

For more on IMEC, or a confidential situation review, contact our Rockford field office at 815-753-8734.

Information provided by Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center

The Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner will be held on Thursday, March 15h at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, 200 S. Bell School Road, Rockford. The event will begin with social hour at 6:00 p.m, dinner at 7:00 p.m. followed by the event program featuring keynote speaker Darcy Bucholz, executive director of The Workforce Connection.

For more information on reservations please call the Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce office at 815- 544-4357 by March 12th.